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(No Model.)

A. J. WILMSHURST.

DEVICE FOR STRBTGHING BANJO HEADS. No. 498,345. Patented May 30,1893.

WMA/Zi/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR JOHN \VILMSHURST, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DEVICE FOR STRETCHING BANJO-HEADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,345, dated May 30, 1893.

Application filed August 3, 1891. Renewed January 5, 1893. Serial No. 457,375. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR JOHN WILMs- HURST, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Bermondsey,London,in the county of Surrey, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Stretching and Attaching Vellum or Parchment to Banjos and Such Like Instruments, of which the following a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to improved means by which the vellum or parchment of banjos and similar instruments may be better attached and stretched thereon and in improved means for giving the vellum or parchment a preliminary stretching if desired and the same is illustrated in the annexed drawings in which- Figure 1 is a cross section in side elevation through the drum or body of a banjo, arranged according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing my arrangement in which the attaching and stretching device is arranged inside the hoop or body. Fig. 3 shows in side elevation a cross section of my rings in which the vellum is secured, to an enlarged scale. Fig. 4t shows in plan to a reduced scale the rings in which the vellum or parchment is secured.

Referring to Fig. 1, a is the banjo hoop proper or body to which is attached by the screws 1) the casing c which surrounds the banjo hoop a. A screw bolt or pin (1 passes through the bottom and top of this casing. The vellum ring 6 carries lugs f which have holes g in same tapped with a thread to correspond with the pin d. The upper or clamping ring it is secured to the ring 6 by means of screws i. The screws dcorrespondin number to the lugs f. The ring 6 has a groove j into which a corresponding projection 0 on the ring it fits. The grooves 011 these rings may be of any suitable shape. In some cases I find it convenient to make the grooves in a radial instead of concentric direction.

Referring to Fig. 2: In this case the device is placed inside the banjo hoop instead of outside, the vellum, being strained over the circular casing. 1., in this case instead of over the banjo hoop, the plate m being also secured to the hoop and forming a bearing for the pin (1 This arrangement I find very convenient in the case of a zither banjo.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the vellum 'n, is secured between the two rings h and c by means of the screws 1' being forced into the groove j on the ring 6 by means of the corresponding projection 0 on the upper ring h.

Referring to Fig. 4: this is a plan of the rings showing the tapped or threaded holes g in the lugsf.

The action of the device is as follows: When it is required to stretch or tighten the vellum n by my invention the screw bolts d are revolved and the vellum rings h and e are thereby drawn down through the medium of lugsf on rings 6 and h which pulls down the vellum over the banjo hoop (1 Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A banjo provided with clamping rings having grooves, between which the vellum is secured and stretched over the banjo hoop through the medium of screw bolts engaging in lugs surrounding one of the clamping rings, the said bolts having bearings and working in a casing surrounding the banjo hoop.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of June, 1891.

ARTHUR JOHN \VILMSHURST.

Witnesses:

J AMES FLEMING, S. CRAUSA. 

